


Frost Bitten

by octopusdreams



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Angst, Dark Character, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-28
Updated: 2013-12-04
Packaged: 2018-01-03 10:53:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1069615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octopusdreams/pseuds/octopusdreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A romance blossoms between Jack Frost and Toothiana the tooth fairy. (Well, we're not at the romance yet, but we're getting there! Slowly!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Frost Bitten

Violet eyes run over the distanced pale skinned Jack again. It wasn't unusual for the frost guardian to isolate himself from the others. Sure, he was adapting, after all he'd lived in near solitude for over three hundred years. She didn't exactly expect him to be outgoing. Still, she worried. She couldn't help it- it was in her nature. **What was he thinking about when he went off all by himself anyway? What was he feeling?** She kept those questions to herself, somewhat nervous to ask, fearing he might push her away if he felt she was trying to impose.

She nearly jumped out of her feathers, startled when Jack gave a heavy sigh, that trademark smug smile hooking his lips as she realized that his cool blue eyes were now settled on her. Her cheeks and nose reddened at having been caught by him. "C'mon," he muttered, moving over to make room for her to sit by him on the bench.

A smile flickered onto her lips before faltering, unsure whether she had annoyed him and not knowing whether to smile or not. She did, however uncertainly, take the offered seat next to him. "S-sorry," she stammered softly, "I don't mean to-"

"I know," Jack interrupted that awkward apology, "It's alright. I don't mind, Tooth," he said, giving her a reassuring smile before looking back out the window and over the horizon before his breath caused the glass pane to become coated in frost. "You don't have to worry about me, Tooth, I'm fine," he said.

"Oh, I know Jack but you know how I worry," she softly smiled, lashes lowering as she looked to her small hands, "I just… I can't figure out what's going through your head when you're out here all alone, you know? I know you've been alone for a long time Jack but… I want you to know you're not anymore. You have us."

He laughed. And it was infectious, those clear eyes of his bright and full of light as he looked to her, "I know that. Ever think I'm out here to get away from the company?" he teased.

"Why do you think I work so much?" she quipped back playfully.

They laughed and after a comfortable silence came over the pair. Tooth was well guarded from the cold that radiated off Jack, her downy feathers keeping her warm. However, as the sun sunk below the horizon it got even cooler and soon her feathers quivered from the cold. "Let's get you inside," he quietly said to her, not wanting to shatter the quiet moment.

Toothiana gave a light nod, Jack offering her his hand to help her up. As she rose to her feet, she watched Jack, his face, her eyes trying to search his- and in her deep analysis nearly tripped over herself, falling into Jack, her face pressed against his chest. A deep blush came over her features as she pulled back and quickly apologized.

"It's okay, hey look at me," he said, squinting his eyes now looking her over good as he hooked her chin with a finger to get a better look at her face, "Are you feeling alright, Tooth? You look a little…" he didn't finish his statement, instead pressing the back of a cool hand to her cheek.

Toothiana's blush didn't shake, his tenderness towards her only making it worse. "Jack I-" she made herself look into those blue orbs of his. She couldn't do it. Couldn't say what she wanted to say, instead a measly **thank you** came out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I first published this on FanFiction but decided to transfer it here because of content rules of FanFiction.


	2. Just a Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sweet moment between Jack Frost and Toothiana.

Despite making his new home at the North Pole, Jack had grown close to Tooth, often visiting her at her palace. He watched her from afar before announcing his presence. She flitted about, excitedly naming off places, children and teeth as she gave out instructions for the tiny toothfaeries to carry out. He couldn't help but chuckle lightly when she swooned over a tooth every now and then. It was a little strange, but all part of her charm.

As strange a creature Tooth was, Jack found her mesmerizing. She was beautiful no matter where you looked. On the outside she was exotic to say the least, and Jack always thought a little bit elegant too. And on the inside she was bright, her maternal nature towards others an attractive and endearing characteristic.

He'd always seen Toothiana as a good friend and even mentor, but more and more his thoughts were geared towards something else. Why even now he appreciated the curve of her lush ass, the way her feathers would quiver there when she was excited… He couldn't help but imagine finding ways to make her tail feathers quiver himself.

He'd been away for sometime, distancing himself after she'd gotten a cold. She assured him not to worry but Jack knew she needed rest… and warmth, of course. "Feeling better?" he finally gave himself away.

"Oh Jack!" she smiled, then suddenly her lips pursed, "Ah, no… I told myself I wouldn't do this…" she muttered.

"Do what?" Jack asked, making his way to where she was.

"Be all cheerful and happy. I'm supposed to be mad at you," she pouted.

A crooked smirk tugged at Jack's lips, "Yeah, why's that?" She was too fucking adorable.

"I told you not to stay away from me and you did! I was…" she gave a huff, furrowing her brows, tail feathers shaking at whatever thoughts were crossing her mind.

"You were…?" Jack repeated, curious as to what she'd say.

"Miserable!" she blurted in frustration, "Well… not miserable, I had my faeries but I missed you… I've gotten used to you always being around and you were gone for months, Jack. Just because of one little cold."

Jack grinned, "I wanted you to get better, Tooth, is that really so horrible of me?" he sweetly tried to coax her.

"No but… Hmph," she pursed her lips, stamping a foot. Of course he wouldn't understand! "You can be such a jerk," she then said, tail feathers waggling before she couldn't stand it, "You know I don't really mean that."

"I know, I'm sorry," he apologized to her, grinning when she soon after apologized for having called him a jerk, taking her words back. "You're probably right, I probably overdid it but I just didn't want you to be sick because of me. Will you ever forgive me?"

Toothiana's features melted into a warm smile, "You know I can't stay mad at you," she admitted in defeat, "Just don't do that again Jack."

"Alright, Tooth, I won't," he told her.

"You promise?" she pouted, looking up into those clear blue eyes of his hopefully.

"I promise," he assured her with a warm smile. Tooth gave a brilliant smile before whizzing into his arms. Jack gave a light chuckle as her warmth seeped into his cool skin, his arms wrapping around her waist as he held her tight.


	3. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A spirit unknown to Jack Frost has awoken and Toothiana seems rather excited. Perhaps too excited for Jack's liking.

Her legs kicked out from under her as she burst with glee, her wings working frantically to keep her hovering in the air. A smirk tugged on Jack's lips as he watched her grow excited over a tooth she had pulled from under a sleeping child's pillow. Her nose scrunched up when she smiled so big like that… Jack couldn't help but chuckle.

The weather had grown warmer and while Jack preferred the cold, he couldn't keep away from his colorful companion. She flourished in the warmth and it showed- her sun kissed skin radiant in comparison to his own pale complexion. She tanned easily and the color she came to be was truly perfect, bringing out her vibrant eyes even more.

"Ah!" a shiver of excitement came over her, her feathers perking in a display of sudden alertness.

"Tooth? What's the matter?" Jack asked, brows furrowing as he looked towards whatever it was that had caught her attention. His lips pulled into a diagonal line of confusion as he looked between the small patch of moss and Toothiana. "What? You allergic or something?"

"He's awake!" she practically squealed, looking quickly to Jack with pure joy in her eyes.

"He? He who?" Jack asked, Toothiana's reason for the sudden excitement lost on him.

"Jack!" she exclaimed brightly before her face fell, "I mean, not you Jack, but _Jack_. Jack Green."

"Jack Green?" Jack repeated in a murmur under his breath. He'd not heard of this Jack.

"Mmhmm!" her head bobbled sporadically up and down, "He's a woodland spirit. He hibernates in the winter. The girls just adore him," she dreamily explained.

"All of them?" Jack raised a brow. It was strange and, he was uncertain but… If he didn't know any better, he'd think Toothiana was swooning. "Uh… Tooth?" he called her back from her moment, "Last house… We gonna do this or what?"

"Oh! Of course, how could I forget," she giggled at herself. The sun was just beginning to peek over the tumultuous horizon, peach patches of the light falling on the ground around them. They snuck into the house, the small girl curled up in her bed. Tooth effortlessly swapped one tiny tooth for a quarter, making her way back to Jack as he watched and on the way catching sight of one of the girl's drawings posted up on the wall. "Oh, Jack," her voice sounded as if she'd was about to melt, "Isn't it wonderful?"

The drawing was a myriad of bright, vibrant colors. Freshly bloomed flowers spotted the paper here and there. Little hummingbirds speckled over the crudely drawn buds and butterflies danced across the sky. His eyes quickly anaylzed the doodle before more thoroughly scouring Toothiana's face.

He could see in her eyes, that's what she liked. The liveliness of the world. Not the sleeping Earth underneath a blank sheet of white and cold. There were no birds, no flowers, no warmth in what he brought. Everything was colorless, everything was cold. He'd never wanted to be anybody other than Jack Frost but… right now it might feel nicer to be Jack Green.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Jack Green! I imagine him to look a lot like Peter Pan, if Peter Pan were animated in similar style to Rise of the Guardians.


	4. Green Envy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Frost thought would be a special moment between himself and Toothiana is stolen by Jack Green.

"Oh Jack, you should have seen them!" she sighed, a goofy grin written on her lips. Jack rolled his eyes at her as she recounted the moment for the third… no, fourth time today. "And he yawned so big and I could see all of them! So perfectly straight and… and strong!" she described to Jack breathlessly. To be frank, Jack was a little tired of hearing about, well, Jack. "I wonder if we'll see him today!" she whispered excitedly, as if Jack Green might overhear.

As much as Jack wanted to shut her up, he couldn't stand to see her upset. He loved seeing her like this he just wished… His stomach tightened. Maybe she had just seen the winter spirit as a friend, nothing more. What if she _were_ to see Jack Green? Everything… _everything_ would be over. She adored Jack Green and who couldn't adore Toothiana? Jack wished more than anything that they could be back at her Tooth Palace- no, _anywhere_ really. Anywhere but here.

But, he'd promised her he'd go with her. Every year when the colorful buds came out, she would visit Jack Green's forest to plant her own little blossoms. "Come with me, Jack, I want you to see this," she said to Jack some time ago, after explaining to him how Baby Teeth were made. Jack felt his heart flutter when she asked him to share such a moment with her. "Of course, Tooth," he promised her, "Wouldn't miss it for the winter!"

Yet here they were and nothing had gone as Jack had planned. He thought this would be a special moment between the two. He thought that maybe today… Maybe he'd tell her how he felt. But all she could talk about was _Jack Green_. Despite the radiant tooth fairy being right next to him, Jack felt cold, Jack felt empty and once again, he felt alone.

"Here, it's perfect!" she pulled Jack out of his drowning thoughts. Slowly, Jack pulled his ice blue gaze up to look at what she had pointed at- a beautiful patch of blossoms. The colors reminded him of Tooth's feathers. Giving a soft smile, Jack couldn't agree anymore, they really were perfect… He loved those flowers. "Ah! Moss! I wonder if…" her voice trailed off, but Jack knew exactly where her thoughts led, his led in the same place. **Is** ** _he_** **here?**

"Why here?" Jack pulled her away from her thoughts now, wondering if the location had to do with a certain woodland spirit. He didn't let his emotions paint his features, though his eyes seemed to sparkle a little less than usual. She just chalked it up to the heat he wasn't used to.

"Jack nurtures them, protects them," she fondly explained to him. Jack's heart sank in his chest. Baby Tooth flitted around and he was brought back to when Pitch had hurt the frail little thing, remembering how he could only keep her cold when she had sought out warmth. His stomach knotted as his thoughts turned. He loved every Baby Tooth because each one was a part of Toothiana. So when he heard her reasons for creating them here, he couldn't help but wonder… Did Tooth see Jack Green as a father of sorts to the tiny faeries? Did they see him as a father?

Tooth blushed seeming to have a similar train of thought as Jack, "I guess… I guess I'm so fond of him because he takes such good care of them… He's almost like a father fig-"

Jack's heart hardened, his features suddenly growing hard too. "Why did you bring me here?" he flatly asked, cutting her off. He needed to hear it from her. No longer could Jack remain on the fence not knowing where her own feelings lay.

Noting his sudden drop in tone, not to mention the sudden drop in temperature around them, her feathers lay flattened as she looked to him with concern in her eyes, "Because you're my friend Jack," she answered honestly, confusion written in those beautiful eyes. Jack let escape a pained, shaky breath as he felt his heart begin to crack, the confusion in her eyes mirrored in his. Her feathers stood alert, knowing she had done something, knowing she had somehow hurt him, watching as his composure cracked. "Jack…" she softly said his name, moving towards him.

But there was nothing there to mend as Jack's features became vacant, "Let's just get this over with," he flatly said, jerking away when she reached out a hand to console him. Toothiana's hands raised to her mouth in shock and hurt and she had to turn before he would see the tears prick the corners of her eyes. He'd closed her out…

Instead of breaking down in front of the other guardian, she busied herself with making the Baby Teeth, finding it a good enough distraction. She gave a whimper as she sank a sharp blade against her palm, crimson blood blooming from the cut before she turned it over so the blood dripped on the petals, pooling in the beautiful buds. Jack couldn't help but want to coddle her after hearing that little whimper she'd given. He came to her side, she keeping her head bowed, not wanting him to see her tears. He pulled her palm into his own cools hands, running a finger along the hot fresh cut. She sighed, shoulders bowing too now the tension in them had gone. It felt good when he did that, took away some of the pain… The flowers closed up and a smile pulled at her sweet lips, "Jack," she breathed.

Jack smiled back at her, but her eyes weren't on him they were on… **Oh no,** ** _no_** **…** Jack looked up to see him standing there, a shock of vibrant auburn hair, eyes like emeralds and boyish charm. "Already, Toothiana?" he sleepily yawned, a lazy smile on his lips. Two little kit played at his feet, he not minding them, even when they pawed at him for attention. Toothiana's feathers quivered with excitement, a blush tinting her features. Jack Green directed his attention to Jack Frost, "You must be-"

" _Gone_ ," the winter spirit finished the other's sentence, the wind suddenly lifting underneath him, carrying him away.

"Jack!" Tooth called after him, then huffed exasperated. "I'm sorry," she apologized to the woodland spirit, "I don't know what's gotten into him… He's been acting a little off all week," she said.

The auburn headed boy chuckled, "It's alright, it wouldn't be the first person I've annoyed," he said, lowering to his knees in front of her, fingers slowly rolling over the pretty buds before taking her hand in his, like Jack Frost had earlier, except instead of cold, warmth radiated from his touch and crept all the way up to Tooth's cheeks. He ran his fingers over the cut that lay on her palm, the wound quickly fading.

"Th-thank you," she quietly breathed before she blubbered, having held back all this time. She melted into him, Jack's arms wrapping round her as he consoled her. From a distance, the winter spirit watched, invisible to them. He felt his heart crumble as he saw what was supposed to be his moment, unfold between the gorgeous fairy and the woodland spirit. At that moment, he would give anything to be Jack Green.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying so far!


	5. Fifteen Fathoms, Counting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is hurt and does something that ends up hurting Toothiana.

Somewhere between flower-gazing and egg hiding they started holding hands. Jack's gaze was all blue ice as he watched them from afar. There were no words to describe the void that ripped him from the inside out. It felt as if he were fifteen fathoms under and sinking lower. But this time… This time there was nothing to numb the pain.

Toothiana had been an anchor, kept him planted to one place, breathed purpose into his being. Drifting soullessly had been long abandoned by the winter spirit yet here the cold wind tugged at his frame. Maybe he should have anticipated it- the fall.

"You just gonna sulk or you gonna do something about it, mate?" he heard Bunnymund's voice rumble somewhere behind him. Jack's eyes hesitated, holding onto Tooth just a bit longer before pulling up to meet the Pooka's green-eyed gaze. Damn those green orbs, they reminded Jack of the loathed woodland spirit's- he had to look away.

"Go away were-rabbit," Jack testily warned the other guardian, not in the mood for his antics at the moment.

"C'mon Jack, Easter's tomorrow," he reminded him, "Maybe you'll find yourself a new bird, eh? She's not the only bird in the sky," he nudged at the other with a furry elbow. "He's not so bad, y'know," Bunnymund said, nodding towards Jack Green, as if that was supposed to make him feel any better, "You should give him a chance. We gave you a ch-" Slight tilt of Jack's staff and a whirlwind of frost cut the overgrown rabbit off, covering the Pooka in a thin layer of ice as Jack made his escape.

It'd been almost a week and Toothiana's adoration for Green only seemed to flourish. Of course, she still worried over the winter spirit, knowing how vulnerable his heart was to the frost he was made of. Jack would never hurt anyone, but she knew how dangerous to himself he could be. She'd looked for him, even sent her little faeries to scout for him but to no avail but after 300 years of solitude, it wasn't hard to become invisible.

"Tomorrow's Easter," she quietly said to the woodland spirit, her thumb caught between her teeth in worry. Jack Green's head lay in her lap, two baby fox wrestling on his stomach, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the serenity.

One eye opened at Tooth's tone and a lazy grin spread on his lips, "We've hidden all the eggs," he assured her, "There's nothing to worry about." Of course, Tooth knew that they hadn't quite hidden _all_ the eggs, some still left forgotten by the somewhat absentminded woodland spirit. But that was beside the point.

"I'm not worried about Easter," she explained, "I'm worried about Jack. I hope he'll come back to celebrate it with us. Surely he will… He knows how much it means to Bunnymund," she quietly voiced her worry to Green.

Woodland Jack gave a frown, "When I said I annoyed people I was only kidding… Nobody's ever disliked me that much…" he mused curiously to Tooth, "I wonder what I did…"

" _Hush_ ," Toothiana lightly scolded him, "It wasn't you that upset him," she said, not wanting the auburn headed Jack to blame himself for Jack Frost's disappearing act. He gave a toothy grin at her maternal manner. He could've kissed her but… He was already feeling ready for a little kip. Jack Green was much like many of the animals of the forest, enjoying the nature and napping. He was a bit absentminded at times but sweet and thoughtful nonetheless. Sometimes he was a little wild but usually he was calm. Jack Green's center was nurture. It was under Jack Green's thumb that life thrived.

The woodland spirit settled on a peck to Tooth's lips, a quick kiss that had caused the fairy to blink dumbfounded before biting her bottom lip, flushing with color from the gesture. It felt as if his soul had shattered as the winter spirit watched. _What makes you so cold, Jack?_ He recalled Toothiana asking him that as they stared up at the moon, their eyes big as saucers as they took in its soft glow. _I don't know…_ was the answer Jack gave her. But that wasn't quite true. He hadn't been so cold at first but as time wore on, the colder he grew. The longer he remained invisible the less hope his heart had to warm him. Eventually, all that hope drained and all he had left was the hope in others.

Tooth had enough hope for both of them, even Jack knew that. But it didn't matter now. There just wasn't enough hope for everyone. At least not for Jack Frost. He had to close his eyes to keep the small tears pricking at the corners of his round orbs from falling. He gazed up at the moon, **How could you do this to me?** ** _How could she…_**

He turned his back on the last remnant of light he had grasped for, finally realizing that no matter how hard he might, his hands were meant to slip. His breath came out shaky as he clenched his teeth to keep himself from getting sick. Jack's rage wasn't an outburst like most, no, it was worse than that. His rage was silent.

Tooth woke with a sneeze the next morning, her feathers quivering in the cold. _**Snow?**_ "Ah!" she quickly looked around to see the woodlands blanketed with snow, then suddenly her gaze pulled over to Jack Green. "J-Jack!" she breathed, a hand raising to her mouth to stifle her small cry of shock. He seemed so frail, curled up and shivering in the cold- lips blue from bitter frost. Her heart dropped. **_No!_** **He wouldn't…** ** _He wouldn't!_** Tears spotted her eyes as she whizzed through the still forest, along the way she saw the remnants of cracked shells, the eggs breaking in the pressure of the cold. When she finally came upon the small clearing, she gave a strangled cry- the flowers that held her darling faeries had wilted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, a fathom is a unit of measurement which measures depths of water, in case anybody was wondering. Hence "fifteen fathoms, counting" Jack is drowning in his despair and sinking further still. -It was inspired by an instrumental song by the same title "Fifteen Fathoms, Counting" by a typically heavy metal band, Bring Me the Horizon. It's not a heavy metal song, it's a rather sombre one. I would certainly suggest you all to check it out. Also, a "kip" is a nap, for those who don't know.


	6. At the Bottom of Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is faced with the realization of what he had done and closes himself off.

He'd been here before- the dark, the quiet… The first time it'd been unsettling, frightening even, but this time… This time the silence brought him calm. It was hard to say how long he'd stayed but something was buzzing, something far, far away. With a lot of effort, he moved his head away, his eyes finally opening then squinting in the blinding light. "Wha-" he grumbled lowly, his voice scratchy from disuse.

An array of color was the first thing he picked up on. **Tooth** , he immediately identified, warmth eased over him instantly. But as his vision became clearer he realized that she looked… wounded. Immediately he knew something was wrong- no more than that, that _he_ had done something. That alone made bile rise in his stomach but the incessant ringing in his ears made it impossible to push it back. He suddenly turned away from Tooth, doubling over as he got sick.

"I don't know what I did," he heard her voice carry, frail and strangled when it met his ears. He wiped at his lips with the back of his hand before turning to face her. His heart came to a stop when he looked upon her tear stained face. Jack's eyes widened in innocent confusion, uncertain of what to do. He was like a deer caught in headlights. Her eyes filled with fresh tears that threatened to spill over, "Why Jack?" she barely managed to squeak out before the tears had deemed her unable to speak anymore.

Reaching a hand out to try and console her, Tooth flinched away from his touch. His hand dropped and he found that breath just would not come. **What had he done? Come on,** ** _remember_** **… Remember, dammit!** He let his gaze fall to the ground, unable to look into Tooth's eyes, all full of damaged trust. Clenching his eyes shut, he tried to recall… His eyes snapped open. _**Please, no.**_ But looking around him he had realized that _yes_ , _he had_. The terrain around them was covered in a blanket of that cold, unforgiving snow. "Tooth," his voice came out weak, "I-I didn't mean…" He shook his head, his teeth punishing his bottom lip, sinking into the flesh there before he tried again, "Please, Tooth, believe me I didn't intend to ruin his woodlands…"

" _Ruin his woodlands, Jack?_ " she repeated, as if in disbelief. More tears escaped from the violet eyes he so worshipped in secret. It pained him to know he was the cause of those tears. It was never… _Never_ supposed to be like this. "You've nearly killed him Jack! And you- you…" she couldn't finish her words, but he didn't need to hear it. He'd studied those eyes for so long now and he knew what was missing- the light.

He dared to look past her shoulder. There the flower patch lay in ruins. It was because of him the flowers hadn't bloomed, it was because of him part of Tooth had suffered, part of her had died. Jack swallowed hard, his eyes becoming more and more hollow.

Toothiana sniffled, trying to wipe her tears away as she watched him turn to stone. Why she had even confronted him, she didn't know… Maybe she had some small inkling of hope that he wouldn't turn to ice, that he would admit that he had made a mistake… That he would open up so that she could help him, so that nothing like this would _ever_ happen again.

A trio of faeries flitted from her and back to Jack, one in particular hovering closer to Jack- Baby Tooth. She tried to figure out what was going through his mind, tried to make him see reason, to not shut the world out. But Jack turned away, eyes void of emotion. Baby Tooth's eyes grew sad as her little shoulders drooped, she returning to Toothiana, nuzzling against her neck as her mother cried. "I really thought…" Tooth sniffled, "I really thought you were my friend. But now I see that we could never be close Jack… You're so afraid of being alone… You destroy anything that may desert you, so it cannot hurt you."

Jack's shoulders hunched at Tooth's words, head hung. He didn't have the strength to face her now. He was afraid. Afraid that she would see through flesh and bone and deep inside where his heart and soul lay. He didn't want her to see how putrid he was on the inside, how rotten his soul and cold his heart was. He had latched onto her because she was everything he was not. He had been a fool to think that maybe, _just maybe_ he wouldn't be alone anymore. What an idiot he was. Monsters were made for emptiness. Tooth flitted away with a heavy, broken heart, needing to get as far away from the soul draining creature Jack was.

Aimlessly, Jack's feet carried him the short distance across the lawn and there he lay with the wilted flowers. This is where Jack belonged, with shattered hope and frost. His blue eyes were dull of light as he gazed at what he'd managed to destroy. He was certain he would lay there for all of eternity, wishing and hoping with all of his heart that he could trade his vile existence for the small bank of flowers, for the part of Tooth that he'd stolen.


	7. Darkness Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack gets a strange proposition to redeem himself from an unwelcome presence.

Soft and slow, his breath was barely noticeable. The forest was draped in the solitude of his winter. His sideways vision of the world was a strange perspective. He'd been laying there so long though that he didn't even notice any longer. Eyelids lowered and he nestled himself closer to the little bit of sunlight that lay on the damaged flower bed.

He didn't stir until he felt even colder. Eyes opened to find the patch of sunlight had been blocked out by a long abysmal shadow. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood up straight, prickling down his spine with cold chills before he suddenly sat up, eyes already glaring at who he knew stood above him.

" _Pitch_ ," he breathed, bitterness in his tone. The dark figure that stood before him held a terrible smirk, those crystalline eyes of Pitch's dancing with amusement and sick enjoyment.

"Oh Frost, how far you've fallen," he purred, "I told you, but ahh- you wouldn't listen, would you?" Pitch tsked at the youthful guardian, wagging a slender gray finger. "I'd wanted to save you from this heartache, Jack, I did," he carried on, "I can't blame you, though… I was foolish once too," he murmured, the toe of his boot catching on Jack's staff and kicking it up before catching it in a hand. Jack's gaze studied Pitch for a moment as the monstrous being paused to let the winter guardian grasp those words, as he did his gray fingers appreciatively stroked over the wooden staff, feeling the rough grain underneath the pads of his fingertips.

"What do you mean?" Jack finally asked, unable to resist. A grim smile hooked at Pitch's lips, eyes keeping its focus on the staff before finally focusing on Jack.

"You're not the only one who fell Jack," Pitch slowly clarified, "I was once mystified by a guardian, oh she was glorious… And you know, that Tooth Fairy reminds me of her… Such a pretty little trinket," he murmured thoughtfully, "But just like that," Pitch snarled, snapping Jack's staff in half over his knee as he'd done once before, "You're broken to them, nothing more than a mere shadow of a thought that occasionally flickers across their mind. Forgotten to them. Left behind, Jack," Pitch's tone was full of venom and something else…

It reminded Jack of himself and as grotesque as a comparison it was, it was true. "Need I explain how that _sweet_ little fairytale ended?" Pitch muttered with great distaste. Of course, Jack already knew how the story ended. Pitch was a great darkness, a monster that thrived off fear, nurtured it in the hearts of the vulnerable and innocent.

"You make a better villain than a recruiter… I'm not joining you on your bitter campaign, Pitch," Jack flatly responded to the other.

Pitch gave a chuckle of amusement, "Ah, I'm not here to recruit you, Jack. I've come to you with a proposition. If you don't want it, fine, I'll be on my way. But I think you might be _very_ interested."

Jack's eyes ran over the other, as if he might be able to discern just whatever it was Pitch had that Jack could possibly want. But before Jack could investigate any further, Pitch's hand dipped inside the dark folds of his clothing and Jack instantly tensed, uncertain of what to expect. Pitch seemed pleased with the slight show of fear from the other before pulling his hand back out to reveal within his fingertips a small vial. Jack's eyes studied the unusually light object in Pitch's possession.

"Wha-" Jack quietly murmured, eyes squinting to try and get a better look at the fine details of the vial.

"It's a happy ending, Jack," Pitch slowly said with intent, Jack's eyes flicking up to look questioningly into Pitch's, his lips silently mimicking the words _happy ending_ , turning the meaning over in his mind. "I've held onto this little treasure for sometime, waiting for just the right moment to use it…" Pitch's eyes slowly moved over to where the dead flowers lay, making sure that Jack's eyes followed.

"It will bring them back?" Jack asked, no longer caring that this was the devil he was entertaining. His heart thrummed in his chest at the possibility of mending his mistakes.

"It will and your Tooth Fairy will be ever so pleased," Pitch smiled something awful. Jack reached out for the vial. "Ah, you honestly didn't think I was just going to hand it over to you, did you?" he almost laughed, his eyes wild with the fun he was having now.

Jack's face fell, "Anything," he desperately begged, "I'll do anything…"

Pitch's lips pulled into a delighted smirk, "I thought you might say that…" he sighed contentedly, "It's yours, Jack, but only under a few… circumstances."

"What do you want?" Jack quickly asked, wanting more than anything for that vial to be within his own hands.

"Surrender yourself to me, Jack. It does my heart good to take a prisoner of war," he explained, "It's not as if you'll be missed," he added.

Jack was ready to argue but those last words stung him and he knew Pitch was right. He only laid ruined to that he held dear. "Deal," he quietly nodded, broken eyes looking up to Pitch hopefully, wanting the vial to be relinquished to him.

Pitch smirked delighted with the way things had gone before tossing the vial carelessly to Jack. The winter spirit's breath caught, heart dropped as he jumped forth to catch the vial, fingers fumbling with the delicate little thing before securing it in his hands. "Hurry up, now, I can't be waiting around on you…" Pitch said to Jack. Falling to his knees in front of the broken flowers, Jack uncorked the vial before sprinkling the "happy ending" over the wilted buds, they instantly springing up as if it had all been but a bad nightmare. His breath was shaky as hopeful tears pricked at the corner of his eyes before one, then two of the flowers opened revealing tiny little Baby Teeth within them, they greeting Jack happily before frowning at seeing Pitch, instantly understanding, nuzzling the winter spirit and fussing at the shadowy figure. "Jack my patience is short, I'll crop the little pests down if-" Pitch began.

"Go girls," Jack quietly ordered them with a weak smile, ushering them off by the power of the wind invested in him before standing to face Pitch. The dark being held a cruel smile before shadows crept up Jack's long legs, twisting in tendrils before tightly cuffing his pale wrists together, a long, thin black rope running from Jack's wrists to Pitch's dark hand.

"Come along, then," he cooed in a dark tone, Jack having no choice but to follow Pitch to the darkest crevice of the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I kind have to lol at 'happy ending' and basically staff porn. Anyway, I don't really have much of this plotted out I'm just kind of running with it and seeing where it takes me.


	8. Pitch Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is taken by Pitch and Toothiana finds out and alerts the others in the North Pole. Jack is faced with a few demons conjured by Pitch's powers.

The past few days had been hard, but she had stuck through. It's for his own good… He'll see, he'll come around… She told herself this, yet it didn't help relieve the ache in her heart. She missed his white mop of hair, his crooked smirk, those dizzyingly gorgeous chompers, his velvet voice… She missed Jack Frost. Things had been going fine with Jack Green. It wasn't long before he'd sprout back up from near death- that's just how Jack Green was.

Yet for all the heart warming hope the woodland spirit filled Tooth with, it still didn't soothe the void she felt. Nothing filled that void… Well, except for a certain mischievous guardian… He's not interested in you like that, she reminded herself, biting her bottom lip. Toothiana didn't have a chance with somebody like Jack Frost. Tooth was too busy, too boring, too dull, too weird. She wasn't the other female guardians… so beautiful and lovely. She couldn't help but envy them. Sure, Jack Green was a cutie but he didn't make her heart falter every time he looked her way. And, well, Jack Green adored animals, so a few feathers would be more appealing than not.

"Girls, please," Tooth lightly scolded her faeries before her eyes found focus on the three hovering in front of her. Her hand instantly covered her mouth as she gasped in shock, "But… The frost…" she murmured, "Oh thank goodness you're alright… Oh gosh," she fretted, biting at her lush bottom lip, "Poor Jack, I have to apolo- What?"

The trio of faeries explained to Toothiana what Jack had done, her face falling at what she heard. "He… surrendered himself to Pitch?" tears began to swell in her eyes before crashing over her lashes and falls onto her cheeks. Her whole body trembled with the sadness that had suddenly wracked her heart. "We have to tell the others…" she breathed, her and the faeries taking off, their wings carrying them as fast as they could.

She didn't stop, her wings burning by the time she finally reached North. Her lungs gasped for air, her body sore from the hard pace she'd forced on it, "Pitch," she panted, "He's got him," she sobbed, "He's got Jack." North helped steady Tooth, she weak with the pain of her words.

He woke with a start, panting heavily, a cold sweat breaking out along his body. His ears rang with the scream of his sister. It was the last thing he heard before the rush of water in his ears and then… nothing. Jack Frost shivered, eyes blinking as he tried to adjust to the darkness that swelled around him. Where am I? He was almost sure that he was back underneath the frozen lake. It was cold, it was quiet and it was dark. But he knew he wasn't for he wasn't submerged in water.

For a shaky moment, he had recounted everything, as if it'd been a dream before his thoughts turned to the sweet face of Toothiana. He suddenly sat up, alarmed… Pitch. "That's right Jack," Pitch's smile cut through the darkness, his eyes lighting up golden in that void, "Pleasant dreams, hmm? Well, I hope you've enjoyed them… There's only nightmares from here on out, Frost."

Jack gasped, feeling as if he was falling endlessly until something illuminated in the distance. He found ground under his feet, Pitch had vanished but it was hard to tell if he had ever been there at all in the first place, or if he had just imagined things. Moving towards that flicker of a light he found himself in vaguely familiar territory.

A voice sweet as honey carried through the forest he'd found himself in. Though he was tired, cold and sore he kept moving towards that sound, it becoming a beacon of hope. Soon enough his feet came to a porch and he slowly made his way up the three steps before stopping when he heard a creek. The door opened and there she stood, her frame thin but eyes loving as he had remembered them. "M-mom?" he stuttered. She smiled weakly, waving Jack inside.

"I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again," she said to her son, her voice hushed. She seemed tired but Jack knew how hard she worked. His father had died before he had been born and she had never remarried.

"Where is…" Jack slowly asked, looking around.

"Not here, thank God," she answered, "I like to think she's with your father…" Jack looked up at his mother, confusion on his face to which she gave a small smile. "When you died… it took a toll on her. She was nearly driven insane from the trauma. I had lost you, I wasn't going to lose her too so I…" she looked away, "There was a… creature. He offered me something I needed, peace of mind. Your sister was able to recover from the nightmare and I… I traded places with her."

Jack's eyes sunk, "Mom… I can get you out of-"

His mother laughed, it was a long, cold, bitter sound, "No, Jack, you can't," she said, shaking her head. Jack swallowed hard, his face falling at those words, his ears almost perking when hearing her voice again, "But you might still be able to make it out Jack… Please… Please get out of here."

"But-" Jack protested before being cut off, her hands cupping his face, her hazel eyes looking into his blue eyes. She looked so much like his sister.

"You have to leave now," she told him, forcing his gaze to stay on hers, even as glimmers flickered in the corner of his vision, dark shadows casting over his home. He couldn't be sure how he had made it outside, but he hadn't wanted to. The screaming of his mother echoed through the woods and he tried and tried to make his way back, only to end up where he'd started.

"Oh, Jack please! Give it a rest, it's exhausting just watching you try to reach her…" Pitch's silky voice rumbled in the dark.

"Pitch!" Jack snarled, "What did you do to her?!" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing in comparison to what I'm prepared to do to you," Pitch growled back. Pain ripped through Jack as he was brought to his knees, engulfed by total darkness. "Nobody needs you Jack," Pitch slowly said, "You were invisible to humans… Now be invisible to all," he spat at the weakened guardian, slowly disappearing so that Jack was trapped in alone in that darkness.


	9. Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Dark!Jack.

"They're not coming for you, Frost," Pitch grinned, thoroughly enjoying the fall of the other. Nothing could be sweeter than breaking the spirit of such an obstinate creature.

"I know," Jack answered, voice gone weak from disuse, "I don't want them to…" Pitch had done it. He'd shattered the frost spirit's soul, broken him down. The darkness had swallowed Jack and he held no concept of time here- he could have been here for days, years even. The only flicker of light Jack had anymore was the ember of Pitch's spiteful eyes.

"What do you _mean_ you don't _want_ them to?" Pitch snarled, clearly not satisfied with that response. But Jack did not answer, instead withdrawing his mind from the bleak abyss around him. Fury pricked beneath every pore of Pitch's flesh before he suddenly lashed out, striking Jack with the end of a black staff, black tendrils creeping out and cupping at the other's face- Jack gasping as the breath was suddenly ripped from his lungs, terror lacing through his every nerve as his fears soon played out before their very eyes in the form of shadows- blacker than the dark around them.

One figure in particular danced, graceful and beautiful even in that form before another figure, darker than the rest had captured her in his palms. "Ahh, so that's it…" Pitch smiled darkly, "Your heart doesn't lie here," he purred, his staff pressed against the frost guardian's chest, "You've hidden it away in her. Mmm, I'm sure you miss her. Don't fret, I can certainly arrange a visit."

Breath was stolen back by Jack as he suddenly was filled with a rage like nothing he'd ever felt before, " ** _No_** ," he nearly growled at Pitch, lunging for the other but finding himself stumbling through nothing as Pitch suddenly disintegrated in a mirage of wisps, appearing directly behind Jack now. "Hear me, Jack. I have you and I will tear you apart from the inside out if I must- if you don't do as I ask of you," he hissed against Jack's ear, Jack jerking his head away before looking back at Pitch over his shoulder.

"What do you want from me?" Jack lowly growled.

"I know it's in you- I've seen it, the terrible things you can do. Now give in to it. Let the darkness consume you, or I'll consume _her_ ," Pitch viscously promised. Jack looked away, the cold around them now freezing, their breath visible little plumes of mist. Pitch's influence was taking claim, his white locks turning grey, eyes growing white, void of color, light and warmth.

"What do you wish of me?" Jack flatly asked, tone absent of emotion.

A terrible grin pulled on Pitch's lips, "I want you to show your so called "friends" your sudden change of heart," he said, the staff gently pounding against the ground as a portal opened- the North Pole nearly blinding Jack as he squinted, shielding his eyes. Stepping through, a thick layer of ice fanned out across the snow, each step he took, the colder the world around him grew. But Jack couldn't feel it. Jack couldn't feel anything.

"Something's coming," Bunnymund shivered, hair standing up on end, nose twitching lightly, ears perk and stiff in the air. North had called upon the others when Toothiana had urgently told him what had happened to Jack. Looking out the window, he stepped aside so the others could see as the world grew darker, colder outside. Bunnymund and Sandy both looked to North before all three turned their gaze to Toothiana.

"Jack!" she gasped, shooting up but whimpering and falling back onto her feet.

"Tooth, don't," Bunnymund urged, "You're still weak from pushing yourself too much," he said. "Sandy an' I will check it out, aw'right?"

Tooth's eyes looked earnestly up into Bunny's before shooting up to North's pleadingly. She needed to go, she needed to see him. Something was wrong, she could feel it heavy as she could her heart. She needed to be there for him.

"Let her go," North told her, understanding the look in her eyes.

An exclamation mark flashed over Sandy's head as Bunny tried to protest, "It's not safe," he finally put out what everybody was thinking privately.

Tooth's brows furrowed, eyes growing angry, "You've always doubted him," she accused Bunnymund, "You're always the first to ridicule him. You _want_ him to be dangerous. But he's not- He's good. I know he is!" Tears welled at those beautiful violet eyes and before Bunny could even utter her name, she stormed out to greet the boy who held such a hold over her heart.

Wings too worn, she used her legs, running through the snow, numb to the cold that burned at her nose and fingers. She could see him in the distance and relief filled her soul, a smile lighting up her face as she ran harder now. "Jack!" she chirped with joy before the cold hit her like a train. Her heart skipped a beat before dropping into the pit of her stomach, even her feathers useless against the cold front. She shivered, stopping in her tracks as Jack grew near enough for her to see what he had become. He was nothing more than some eerie ghost of the boy she knew. "J-Jack?" she stammered, fear tinging her small, desperate voice.

He raised those bone white eyes to hers and shivers ran down along her spine, she swallowed hard, feeling the snow beneath her feet begin to harden, ice forming. "Jack… what's happened to you?" she weakly whispered.

" **Move** ," he commanded her, his sights set towards North's home.

"J-Jack look at me," she said, reaching out to touch him, her hand suddenly pulling back. She looked to her fingertips which had grown dark blue, almost black- frostbite. "What did Pitch do to you?" she demanded as he pushed her aside.

A cold, bitter laugh from a voice that Toothiana couldn't believe was Jack's own filled her ears before he turned that even colder gaze towards her once more, "You think _Pitch_ did this to me? You of all people should know… I was this all along. I just needed Pitch to show me that," he cruelly answered her.


End file.
